Ms Sharon Byrne:

I cannot impose training on anybody but I look forward to this legislation ensuring that everybody must attend training and contribute to the fund. A few members do not pay it so it would be nice to see the entire industry paying, ensuring that if a business is to get a licence, staff must be trained by a body set out by the Bill. An average betting shop makes approximately 12% per year, so we repay €88 in every €100 we take in. The average shop turnover, if we include the big guys, is approximately €2.5 million. An average turnover for a small independent business - there are 400 of these in the 1,014 - is approximately €1.5 million. For a shop to break even, taking into account costs like betting duty and expenses of €160,000, there would have to be a turnover of €1.5 million. That is why the independents are closing - which happens every day - or selling. The 12% figure is the industry average.